Relaxing music is viewed millions of times on Spotify. BR– Studies have shown that there are many non-existent artists in playlists – this is a problem for established musicians.
The playlist is designed to help you “slow down, breathe and relax,” Spotify writes about the “Piano for Peace” playlist. It has around 7 million “likes” and is one of the most successful offerings on the Swedish music streaming platform. Most pieces: simple chord progressions, usually no more than two and a half minutes long.
One of the artists who will appear on this playlist at the end of 2022 is Amandine Moulin. Her most successful track, “La Vie,” has been played more than 13 million times. According to the biography, Amandine Moulin is a classically trained pianist from Paris who decided in 2019 to write her own songs. Music reflects her personality. There’s just one problem: Amandine Moulin doesn’t exist.
one person, countless personality
Behind her stands Nach BR– Study a guy in Sweden. That wasn’t the only artist profile a group of journalists could assign him. He also supports a musician of “Hawaiian descent” who is “closely connected to nature” or an Irish musician of “German mother”.
A search in the database of the American Society for Music Collections (ASCAP), which is comparable to Germany’s GEMA, reveals that there are more than 100 names related to Swedes.
Linus Larsson, a technology reporter for the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, described such musicians as “fake artists”. According to Larsson, with the help of detailed but allegedly fabricated biographies, many artists came under the impression of being from Iceland or Italy. In fact, however, “a small number of Swedish producers support it”. A kind of ghost writer or “ghost musician”. Many of these profiles have a blue tick to indicate they have been verified by Spotify.
Over 60% of “ghost music” in playlists
evaluation of ARD documentary series “Dirty Little Secrets” Data show that at the end of last year, more than 60% of the approximately 300 tracks on the “Piano for Peace” playlist were from so-called “ghost musicians”. Many artists are affiliated with small labels, including Firefly Entertainment. It’s from Sweden – just like Spotify.
Linus Larsson of Dagens Nyheter at BR– Interview says that one of the founders of the Firefly Entertainment brand “has a personal relationship with a former Spotify executive who also developed the whole playlist concept.” Photos of the two traveling together can be found on social networks.
BR-Studies show that “ghost music” pays less per stream. In return, songs should be regularly placed in a wide-ranging playlist.reporter radio bavaria Insights into the corresponding quotes for musicians.
Playlists are independently curated, according to Spotify
Conny Zhang, Spotify’s German-speaking “head of music,” made it clear: “You can’t buy any of our playlists. The playlists are curated completely independently. I can definitely emphasize that.”
Spotify curates some 1,500 playlists, several of which feature “ghosts” like Amandine Moulin. Swedish record label Firefly Entertainment did not respond to questions.No ‘ghost musician’, like the Swede with numerous Spotify profiles, wants to be with him BR say.
Misallocation of Liquidity
What exactly is the connection between small labels and Spotify has not yet been conclusively clarified. One thing is clear: Ghost musicians are played millions of times, releasing new music non-stop, and thus becoming a problem. If large sums of money are paid for ghost music, the money is lost elsewhere: the artists make the music at a premium.
Because under the current payment system, known as the “proration model,” money for streaming doesn’t go directly to the artists that individual users listen to. Instead, it flows into a large overall pool, which is then distributed to all artists on Spotify—depending on their share of all streams.
Singer Balbina has been fighting for a fair share for years, as many artists cannot live off streaming alone. “Issuance keys say: the more you hear it, the more valuable it becomes,” she critiques. Balbina therefore calls for a new compensation model. She has already entered the Bundestag with her demands.
federal government commissioned research
Last year, the federal government commissioned a streaming study to scientifically address allocation. For Erhard Grundl, cultural policy spokesman for the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen parliamentary group in Germany’s Bundestag, the first step is to get an educated picture of streaming revenue distribution.As a second step, possible solutions must be discussed: “It’s really about distribution, and it has to be fair,” says Grundl im BR-interview.
The first results of the streaming study are expected by the end of the year. The UK House of Commons has launched a full inquiry into the topic in 2021. Conclusion: Streaming requires a “full restart”.